Sentimental Junk

Product Notes

In a day where musical boundaries are vague & confusing, black eyed soul has been blazing their own trail, ignoring the presence of pop culture blueprints of today. Surrounded by a mixture of thrash/metal, ska, & hip hop/pop, black eyed soul began creating a fresh sound unlike these genres. Putting a label on their unique original style has always been controversial and quite a challenge to any listener or fan. This fact is such an issue that the band members themselves created their own genre (that will no doubt be ripped off) called 'barn pop!' Black eyed soul formed in the summer of '95 in central Florida's Space Coast. Singer/songwriter Andrew Marcus met keyboardist Misty Dureault and they quickly became musical soulmates. Unsatisfied with the direction of their current band, Marcus and Dureault took it upon themselves to form a new group which would become black eyed soul. Marcus was working in a local music store when he met the next band member, Clark Staton, a seasoned, solid drummer with well formed chops after years of touring and residing in L.A's music scene as both a live performer and studio musician. His experience with some heavy hitters was evident in his technique and was just what the band needed. Clark's creative styling and angst helped define that raw black eyed soul sound! To complete the original lineup, bass player Keith Reimey was added. Within months 3 months black eyed soul was in the studio recording their first full length album called'Try This'. This album leaned towards punk rock/power pop. Florida audiences seemed to enjoy being entertained by a group with a truly unique sound. Over the years, they've been compared to bands like- The Replacements to CCR, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers to REM, to name a few. A buzz circulated in the areas they performed in as they prospered, continuing to take their music very seriously. In 1998, black eyed soul released their self titled full length album which was chosen as album of the year by central Florida's Brevard Live Magazine. The band quickly became the critic's darling as they received a good deal of impressive publicity through print and radio outlets Their second effort called 'Thinking of a Brick Wall' released in 2000. This record launched their very own indie record label-Spooky Records into existence.The entire recording process was now in their hands so the band experimented with new layers of sounds including lap steel, harmonica, banjo, etc. A few live radio interviews and press including some big publications like No Depression, CMJ and Billboard magazines aided to push the band into a national audience from this point on. Their next move would be to obtain a kick ass manager to help with the necessary tasks of an up and coming national rock band. Which they did. Another remarkable creation entitled'Alien Peep Show'-2002 was born out of Black Lodge Studios/Spooky Records / black eyed soul headquarters and what would transpire from here is noteworthy! It's now 2002 and the group's reputation is stretching out beyond their country to worldwide realm. A great deal of the attention they're getting is from several outlets including the FOX tv network who called up the band and asked them to perform live on their morning show called 'Good Day Orlando!'(to half a million viewers). Belgium radio is requesting copies of Alien Peep Show and then playing a few tracks from it on regular rotation. The band's manager then sent a copy of this same record to Gene Simmons' of KISS requesting his permission to officially release the covered song 'Strutter' (a KISS song) with his permission. He listened and liked black eyed soul's unplugged, raw, rootsy version so much that he put it on the audio page of the infamous KISS website-KISSONLINE.COM next to other cool versions of KISS songs by other known artists like The Melvins and The Donnas! In 2004 black eyed soul completed yet another masterpiece called 'Rock Paper Scissors' which still receives acclaim and attention. Shut Eye Records signed a one song deal with the group for one of their pieces off of this latest album called 'waste of time' to be included in a genre oriented compilation CD entiltled'Tis is Alt. Country Vol. 2. One of Black Eyed Soul favorite singer/songwriter named Jay Farrar of Sun Volt is also a featured artist on this fantastic collection of songs. Nearing the ass end of 2004 black eyed soul was nominated in about every category and received 2 awards from their peers in the Central Florida Brevard Live Music Awards or BMAs! The E.A.R. award was earned for Excellence in Artistry and Recording and the favorite Original Band was the other achievement. Their anti-rock star demeanor and light touring schedule has often dubbed them as 'the faceless band.' And their will always be arguments-a-brewin' regarding what kind of music black eyed soul plays (barn pop, remember?) Lastly, a quote from the best interpretation ever written about them:'black eyed soul is: 'Sweet, simple songs about life, loss, lust and good old fashioned American heartache.' Dessert for your ears, Treat yourself today!

In a day where musical boundaries are vague & confusing, black eyed soul has been blazing their own trail, ignoring the presence of pop culture blueprints of today. Surrounded by a mixture of thrash/metal, ska, & hip hop/pop, black eyed soul began creating a fresh sound unlike these genres. Putting a label on their unique original style has always been controversial and quite a challenge to any listener or fan. This fact is such an issue that the band members themselves created their own genre (that will no doubt be ripped off) called 'barn pop!' Black eyed soul formed in the summer of '95 in central Florida's Space Coast. Singer/songwriter Andrew Marcus met keyboardist Misty Dureault and they quickly became musical soulmates. Unsatisfied with the direction of their current band, Marcus and Dureault took it upon themselves to form a new group which would become black eyed soul. Marcus was working in a local music store when he met the next band member, Clark Staton, a seasoned, solid drummer with well formed chops after years of touring and residing in L.A's music scene as both a live performer and studio musician. His experience with some heavy hitters was evident in his technique and was just what the band needed. Clark's creative styling and angst helped define that raw black eyed soul sound! To complete the original lineup, bass player Keith Reimey was added. Within months 3 months black eyed soul was in the studio recording their first full length album called'Try This'. This album leaned towards punk rock/power pop. Florida audiences seemed to enjoy being entertained by a group with a truly unique sound. Over the years, they've been compared to bands like- The Replacements to CCR, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers to REM, to name a few. A buzz circulated in the areas they performed in as they prospered, continuing to take their music very seriously. In 1998, black eyed soul released their self titled full length album which was chosen as album of the year by central Florida's Brevard Live Magazine. The band quickly became the critic's darling as they received a good deal of impressive publicity through print and radio outlets Their second effort called 'Thinking of a Brick Wall' released in 2000. This record launched their very own indie record label-Spooky Records into existence.The entire recording process was now in their hands so the band experimented with new layers of sounds including lap steel, harmonica, banjo, etc. A few live radio interviews and press including some big publications like No Depression, CMJ and Billboard magazines aided to push the band into a national audience from this point on. Their next move would be to obtain a kick ass manager to help with the necessary tasks of an up and coming national rock band. Which they did. Another remarkable creation entitled'Alien Peep Show'-2002 was born out of Black Lodge Studios/Spooky Records / black eyed soul headquarters and what would transpire from here is noteworthy! It's now 2002 and the group's reputation is stretching out beyond their country to worldwide realm. A great deal of the attention they're getting is from several outlets including the FOX tv network who called up the band and asked them to perform live on their morning show called 'Good Day Orlando!'(to half a million viewers). Belgium radio is requesting copies of Alien Peep Show and then playing a few tracks from it on regular rotation. The band's manager then sent a copy of this same record to Gene Simmons' of KISS requesting his permission to officially release the covered song 'Strutter' (a KISS song) with his permission. He listened and liked black eyed soul's unplugged, raw, rootsy version so much that he put it on the audio page of the infamous KISS website-KISSONLINE.COM next to other cool versions of KISS songs by other known artists like The Melvins and The Donnas! In 2004 black eyed soul completed yet another masterpiece called 'Rock Paper Scissors' which still receives acclaim and attention. Shut Eye Records signed a one song deal with the group for one of their pieces off of this latest album called 'waste of time' to be included in a genre oriented compilation CD entiltled'Tis is Alt. Country Vol. 2. One of Black Eyed Soul favorite singer/songwriter named Jay Farrar of Sun Volt is also a featured artist on this fantastic collection of songs. Nearing the ass end of 2004 black eyed soul was nominated in about every category and received 2 awards from their peers in the Central Florida Brevard Live Music Awards or BMAs! The E.A.R. award was earned for Excellence in Artistry and Recording and the favorite Original Band was the other achievement. Their anti-rock star demeanor and light touring schedule has often dubbed them as 'the faceless band.' And their will always be arguments-a-brewin' regarding what kind of music black eyed soul plays (barn pop, remember?) Lastly, a quote from the best interpretation ever written about them:'black eyed soul is: 'Sweet, simple songs about life, loss, lust and good old fashioned American heartache.' Dessert for your ears, Treat yourself today!